Professor and student meet in the professor's office.

Welcome Messages from the Campus Community

Welcome to our community.

At Grinnell, you’ll be well connected. Your advisers — including your First-Year Tutorial professor, a career adviser, and a residence life adviser — will make sure you know all the resources available to you on campus, and of course you will organically make plenty of connections with people as you live your life here. But we are pleased to help you make some early connections with a few folks from our campus and our town.

Message From Student Government

Kyla Miller '25

Congratulations on being admitted to Grinnell, and welcome! My name is Kyla Miller ’25, and I’m the president of Grinnell’s Student Government Association (SGA).

Our organization represents student voices to College faculty and administration, advocates for student needs, and fosters student dialogue. For example, we provide funding to on-campus student organizations.

Current SGA members comprise the Cabinet and Senate. The Senate is made up of elected volunteer positions you can run for, starting in your first semester on campus!

You are welcome to send any questions to me at sgaprez@grinnell.edu. We look forward to seeing you on campus!

Best,
Kyla Miller ’25 and the SGA team
Grinnell College Student Government Association President

Messages from our Campus

Staff at the Office of Academic Advising provide advice via video.

Academic Advising

Joyce Stern, Dean of Student Success and Academic Advising

In high school, the guidance you received was likely formulaic, intended to get you into a great college. At Grinnell, very little is formulaic — you take charge and forge your own path by planning your education with your faculty adviser.

Dean of Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS) provide advice via video.

Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS)

Mark Peltz, Dean of the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS)

Remember that you don’t have to have everything figured out right away. Career planning is more of a marathon than a sprint, which is why every first-year and transfer student at Grinnell gets assigned a career coach from the start.”

The operations manager of Grinnell's health center provides advice via video.

Student Health and Wellness (SHAW)

Alexis Steele, Manager of SHAW Operations

"We’re happy to meet with you to talk through health insurance before or after your appointments, but knowing the basics of your health insurance ahead of time can save you some last-minute stress when you already aren’t feeling well."

Disability Resource staff provides advice via video.

Disability Resources

Autumn Wilke, Associate Chief Diversity Officer for Disability Resources

“Don’t wait until the last minute. Many accommodations take time to implement or are most feasible before a certain date. A great example is pursuing a residential accommodation for a single or a first-floor room.

Staff at Intercultural Affairs provide advice via video.

Intercultural Affairs (ICA)

Vrinda Varia, Associate Chief Diversity Officer for Intercultural Student Life

"Starting college is a whole new journey, and there’s so much to explore. Go to everything at least once, and be open to new experiences. When you face new challenges, remember that Grinnell offers support and resources — if they’re not immediately apparent to you, ask us for help!"

Dean of Religious Life shares advice via video.

Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Social Justice (CRSSJ)

Sarah Brammer-Shlay, Dean of Religious Life and Chaplain/Rabbi

The CRSSJ is for you, whether you identify as religious or not. We support all students. If you want to create a group gathering or talk about something with the community, please feel free to reach out to one of our chaplains. We’ll be happy to help you."

Messages from our Town

A man smiles for a headshot

City of Grinnell

Dan Agnew, Mayor

"Many of your fellow students become personally involved in a community, social, or educational endeavor off campus, which strengthens their college experience. I hope you will be part of this movement."

A woman smiles for a headshot

Drake Public Library

Monique McLay Shore ’90

“Your campus and classroom experience is going to challenge you to grow and expand your understanding of the world. But there is much that can be learned off campus, too.”

A woman smiles for a headshot

S.H.E. Counts

Delphina Baumann, Founder

"Students experience random acts of kindness around the town here, and there are myriad opportunities to participate and find a seat at the table as active and engaged citizens."

Preview of Instagram post

Grinnell students and alumni share some of the times they’ve experienced kindness within the College and local communities. (We also offer a described version.)

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